The Sacrificial Maze of Endless Night
Nothing interesting happened on the ride to the Darkest Dungeon carriage. The existing party members, terrified of the Hero, kept conversation to a bare minimum.
After entrusting our horses and carriage to a small village in Viscount Tefer's territory, we began climbing the mountain. The target dungeon for this request was located in the middle of the mountain.
Contrary to popular belief, dungeons weren't actual structures—they were a kind of pocket dimension. That's why they popped up in all sorts of absurd places, like inside wardrobes, making them hard to find.
The entrance to this newly discovered dungeon was in a ridiculously impossible spot: the knothole of a tree that looked long dead. How the hell did they even spot that?
"Let's do one final check before heading in."
Everyone nodded at the leader's words. The two warriors inspected their weapons one last time, the ranger checked his tools, and the mage gulped down premium spring water to loosen up her throat.
Of course, our dear Hero just stood there blankly, doing absolutely nothing. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she let out a short "Ah."
"Gimme the luggage."
"Pardon?"
"I'm the porter."
Naturally, none of them saw the Hero as a mere porter, but they couldn't argue when she insisted. In the end, she shouldered a massive bundle of supplies and essentials—nearly half her body weight in gear. And yet, she moved as lightly as if it were a feather.
Once preparations were complete, the leader clapped to draw everyone's attention.
"Alright, let's head in."
The leader and the other unremarkable warrior took point, followed by the mage and ranger in the middle, with the porter Hero bringing up the rear. One by one, they stepped into the dungeon.
Before entering, idle curiosity got the better of me, so I opened my 'eyes' for the first time in ages. It was just a Silver-rank request, nothing special, but I wanted to check the dungeon info anyway.
Name: Sacrificial Maze of the Endless Night
Rank:S-
Wait, what the hell is wrong with this thing?
But before I could stop her, the Hero strode in without a care. We were swallowed by the rift in space.
Think positive. The dungeon's difficulty is way beyond Silver or even Gold rank, sure, but I've got a combat cheat code in the Hero. With her around, any crisis gets sliced clean!
·····But where the hell did she go?
The surreal darkness that denied all earthly light couldn't block my vision. I maximized my 360-degree field of view to assess the surroundings.
For starters, I was stabbed into the floor of a dungeon made of black stone. Around me lay the leader and the mage, both unconscious. No sign of the Hero, Holy Sword, or the other unremarkable warrior and ranger—no matter how hard I looked.
I extended my senses as far as possible, but I couldn't even pick up their presences.
'A separation-type dungeon?'
Some dungeons pull this nasty trick, splitting the party into different spaces the moment you enter. The worst kind. And before heading in, the leader had bragged that this dungeon's mana density was nothing special.
An S- rank being "nothing special"? Yeah, right. The dungeon must've been masking its own mana. Which means all the external intel on its size and such was probably bogus too.
Disguised as an easy dungeon to lure in prey—it was more trap than anything.
[Hey, hey. Wake up.]
Any normal human would be doomed here, but I'm a sword now. And considering the obsession the Hero's shown me, she's not ditching me anytime soon. So I felt zero panic and casually roused the others.
"Wh-where... is this...?"
[Dungeon inside, you idiot. Snap out of it.]
"You're the demonic sword? Where are my other comrades...?"
[Cheeky brat. Call me Lord Demonic Sword.]
"Y-yes, sir! Lord Demonic Sword, so what the hell happened?"
I decided to explain kindly to the leader. We're inside an S-rank dungeon no Silver-rank adventurer could clear alive. Your party's been split in two by some unknown force.
Of course, as a kind and considerate demonic sword, I also pointed out that since the self-proclaimed porter Hero took most of the gear, supplies were now critically low for just the leader and mage to survive.
"Ah... "
Realization dawned on the leader's face from my helpful explanation—his soul practically evacuated his body.
This is fun. Should I mess with him more?
But before I could act on it, the mage groaned awake. The leader jumped in surprise and called out to her.
"Emily, you okay?"
"Ugh... Jack..."
The leader supported the staggering mage. Even half-out of it, she'd overheard us—her face was corpse-pale.
"Are we... gonna be okay?"
"Yeah. Don't worry—just trust me."
"Okay..."
A resolute determination lit up the leader's face as he gazed at her. Definitely not just coworkers, huh?
Soon, he helped her fully to her feet.
"You know we can't just wait for rescue. Let's scout the area first."
"Yeah. I'll do my best too."
Right—can't rely on uncertain rescue when supplies are short. Bracing each other, the leader and mage started walking.
[Wait, what about me? Aren't you taking me?]
These assholes were just leaving me behind. The leader looked like he'd forgotten, but the mage openly clicked her tongue in disgust.
"Why should we? That ominous demonic sword can rot in the dungeon forever."
I desperately wanted to smack her, but as a sword, I couldn't move on my own. The Hero's seal limited my demonic powers too.
That said, I wasn't out of threats.
[Ditch me if you dare, and...]
"And?"
[I'll cry.]
At my terrifying threat, the mage blinked in confusion, then clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.
It stung getting mocked right to my face.
"Pfft, are you nuts? A sword with history acting shameless... Who'd fear your tears?"
[You should. Don't you know where we are?]
"A dungeon."
[Exactly. And the volume of my telepathic wail defies imagination. As an experienced adventurer, you know what happens when loud noise echoes in a dungeon, right?]
My telepathic output alone was like a sonic weapon. If that apocalyptic racket spread, every monster in the dungeon would swarm us.
[Unless you want to serve up a hot buffet for the monsters, better carry me nicely.]
"...Ugh."
Not the Hero, but honestly, my adventurer tenure outranks these minnows. If I couldn't handle them, what kind of demonic sword would I be?
The leader needed his sword and shield for combat, so naturally, the mage got stuck carrying me. She reached out with a face full of loathing.
[Whoa, hold up.]
"What now?"
[Don't grab the hilt. Touch it and boom.]
The Hero's seal was still active, of course. Otherwise, I'd have eroded them and hijacked their bodies as hosts.
"Th-then where?"
[Grab the scabbard and move. Don't drop me.]
The mage clutched my scabbard like a lifeline, her face a mask of disgust. Made from hellbeast hide, it was tough but slick and hard to grip.
[Alright, let's get going!]
"Don't yell! What if a monster shows up?"
[Eh? They'll just kill you guys anyway.]
"Ugh, Jack. I really hate this sword."
"Sorry, Emily. Just bear with it a bit."
Even the leader was shooting me disgusted looks now, but it didn't faze me. At my prodding, they shut up and began exploring.
A pitch-black corridor without a single light. The leader advanced warily, weapons raised, while the mage stumbled behind, hugging my scabbard.
The oppressive darkness numbed their senses. They staggered into invisible obstacles, relying only on each other's footsteps.
Even I, who'd been yapping away, suddenly went silent. A deathly quiet descended.
How long had we walked? The leader suddenly halted.
"Light...?"
The mage following bumped into his back, and I clattered from her limp hand.
"It's light!"
They ignored me completely. In this hellish darkness, light appeared for the first time. Like thirst-stricken wanderers spotting an oasis, they rushed toward it.
I didn't stop them, even abandoned. I knew they'd come crawling back soon enough.
"Wh-what the hell is that?"
They staggered back to me in terror. Bathed in fluorescent glow—not ordinary light—their faces twisted grotesquely, almost alien.
They only realized up close, but I'd sensed it long ago. Blocking the corridor entirely, seamless as flesh itself.
The first enemy we encountered in this dungeon glowed a murky fluorescent hue. Pus boiled across its body, and every burst released agonized screams from within.
"I've... seen it in a bestiary..."
It was a Twisted Purgatory Slime.